The Best Castles to Visit: August 2013

Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Pembroke Castle

Pembroke Castle is located on a promontory beside the River Cleddau, in Wales. Most of the castle's structure dates to the 12th century.

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

Dover Castle was founded in the late 12th century, in the reign of Henry II. The site was occupied since early times, and includes the remains of a roman lighthouse. It is located on the coast of Kent, England.

Video of Dover Castle.

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Restormel Castle

Restormel is a Norman Castle built in the 12th century. Its located near the River Fowey, in Cornwall, England.

Video of Restormel Castle.

Launceston Castle

Launceston Castle is a Norman Motte and Bailey castle built in the 11th century. It is located in Cornwall, England.

Aerial video of Launceston castle.

Okehampton Castle

Okehampton Castle is a ruined Norman Motte and Bailey castle. It was built in the 11th century, and is located in Devon, England.

Aerial video of Okehampton castle.

Tuesday, 20 August 2013

Castle Roche

Castle Roche is a norman Castle constructed in the early 13th century. It is located on a rocky outcrop in County Louth, Ireland.

Video of castle Roche.

Dunguaire Castle

Dunguaire Castle was built in the 16th century, and is located on the shore of Galway Bay, in Ireland.

Ballycarbery Castle

Ballycarbery Castle was constructed in the 16th century. It is located on the coast of County Kerry, Ireland.

Video of Carberry Castle.

Monday, 19 August 2013

Trim Castle

Trim Castle is a Norman castle located beside the River Boyne, in County Meath, Ireland. Construction started in the late 12th century.

Video of Trim Castle.

Ross Castle

Ross Castle was constructed in the late 15th century. It is located on the shore of Lough Leane, in Killarney National Park, Ireland.

Blarney Castle

Blarney Castle is located in County Cork, Ireland, and was constructed in the mid 15th century. The castle is known for its tradition of kissing the Blarney Stone.

Video of Blarney Castle.

Friday, 16 August 2013

Raglan Castle

Raglan Castle is located in Monmouthshire, Wales. It's constuction began in the 15th century. The castle's hexagonal keep is surrounded by a water-filled moat.

Video of the view from the top of Raglan Castle.

Harlech Castle

Harlech Castle is located on a rocky coastal hill in Wales. It was constructed in the late 13th century in the reign of Edward I.

Video of a visit to Harlech Castle.

Chepstow Castle

Chepstow Castle is situated on cliffs above the River Wye, in Wales. Construction began in 1067, in the reign of William the Conqueror.

Video showing Chepstow Castle's clifftop location.

Kilchurn Castle

Kilchurn Castle dates from the 15th and 17th century and is located on the shore of Loch Awe, in Scotland.

Aerial video of Kilchurn Castle.

Dunnottar Castle

Dunnottar Castle is located on a rocky headland on the north-east coast of Scotland. Most of the surviving ruins are from the 15th and 16th century, but the headland was occupied since the early medieval period.

Aerial video of Dunnottar castle.

Thursday, 15 August 2013

Ardvreck Castle

Ardvreck Castle was constructed in the late 16th century. It is located on the shore of Loch Assynt in Sutherland, Scotland.

Aerial video of Ardvreck castle ruins.

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan castle was founded in the 13th century. It is located on a small rocky island on the west coast of Scotland. A stone bridge to the island was added when the castle was restored in the early 20th century.

Aerial video of Eilean Donan castle

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe was built around the late 15th century, and is located on the coast of Caithness, Scotland.

Aerial video of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe.

Keiss Castle

Keiss castle was built in the late 16th century, and is located on the coast of Caithness, Scotland.

Aerial video of Keiss Castle.

Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle was founded in the 13th century and is located on the western shore of Loch Ness in Scotland.

Aerial video of Urquhart castle.

Wednesday, 14 August 2013

Dunluce Castle

Dunluce Castle is located on the rocky coastline of County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The first construction on the site was in the 13th century.

Aerial video of Dunluce Castle.
Read more about Dunluce Castle

Caerlaverock Castle

Caerlaverock Castle was constructed in the 13th century and is located on the southern coast of Scotland. It has an unusual triangular layout and is surrounded by a water filled moat.

Video of Caerlaverock Castle.

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

Conwy Castle

Conwy castle was built in the late 13th century, in the reign of Edward I. It is located near the mouth of the River Conwy in Northern Wales.

Aerial video of Conwy Castle.

Saturday, 10 August 2013

Caernarfon Castle

Caernafon Castle, at Caernafon in Wales was constructed in the late 13th century by Edward I, to replace an earlier 11th century Norman motte and bailey castle.

Video of Caernafon Castle showing its location at the mouth of the River Seiont, in the Menai Strait.

Caerphilly Castle

Caerphilly Castle was built in the 13th Century and is located in Caerphilly, Wales. It is of concentric design and is surrounded by artificial lakes which form an elaborate defensive moat.

Video of Caerphilly Castle showing its defensive moat.

Beaumaris Castle

Beaumaris Castle is located on the island of Anglesey in Wales. It was built in the late 13th to early 14th century, during the reign of Edward I. It has a concentric design, and includes a defensive moat.

Aerial view of Beaumaris Castle.

Friday, 9 August 2013

Alnwick Castle

Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, England, was built following the Norman conquest. Its scenic rural setting, near the River Aln makes it popular with visitors and has appeared in several movies including the Harry Potter series, and the Robin of Sherwood series.

Aerial video of Alnwick Castle

Bamburgh Castle

This castle has a very scenic location on a basalt outcrop above a white sandy beach in Northumberland, England. The promontory had been occupied for a long time, first by the native Britons, then the Anglo Saxons. The main tower is from the Norman era.

Aerial video of Bamburgh Castle.

It appears at about 34 mins into this episode.

Bodiam Castle

This late 14th century castle is located in East Sussex, England. With it's moat, crenellated corner towers, and rural surroundings, it looks exactly how most people would imagine a medieval castle.

Aerial video of Bodiam Castle.